Stateline New South Wales

The Regions

QUENTIN DEMPSTER, PRESENTER: Here are some short stories from the regions. Helen Tzarimas reports.

HELEN TZARIMAS, REPORTER: Conservation tours of Montague Island have won a national eco-tourism award for the second year running. The National Parks and Wildlife service, helped by volunteers, has been conducting the tours since the late 1980s.

Locals at the Newcastle suburb Islington have had enough of street prostitution. They're threatening to take class action against the council and the State Government if the authorities don't come up with a plan to get rid of the sex workers.

Riverina rice growers are angry about claims in a Sydney newspaper that it takes 3,500 litres of water to grow a kilo of rice. They say the actual figure's about half that and rice is only grown when there's enough water. The newspaper article urged consumers to buy rice from Thailand, claiming local growers use water from what it termed rivers in crisis.

And north coast banana growers are also upset. Their problem is a decision to allow imports of bananas from the Philippines. The growers claim that their industry will be exposed to disease because quarantine checks will be inadequate.

A prehistoric crustacean called the shield shrimp has started appearing in water in the Bourke area. Recent flooding has led to something of a population explosion. The shrimp's eggs can survive in the soil for up to 30 years without rain.

And finally, a correction: three weeks ago, we reported that a Bateman's Bay magistrate wanted the privatised prisoner escort service maintained. In fact, the service the magistrate wants to see continued is run by the Corrections Department, not a private company.